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This guide is a rare opportunity to experience the joy of painting nature with Cathy Johnson, a beloved artist, naturalist and teacher. With lively instruction and an approachable style, Cathy takes you on an enjoyable hike through the great outdoors, showing you how to see and paint the wonders of nature in a whole new way.

Open this unique guide and see how achievable and fun watercolor can be. With dozens of examples of her own work, along with 15 complete step-by-step demonstrations, Cathy shows you how to capture a range of environments. You'll explore the beauty of the open desert, the shady stillness of an old forest, the dancing cascades of a rushing waterfall, and much more. Habitats are arranged by chapter, featuring:

Mountains - including trees of western and eastern mountains, wildlife and indigenous plants and flowers

Deserts - with specific instruction for painting desert plants, animals and more

Humans in Nature - including canoes, campfires and fishing trips

Along the way, Cathy encourages you to sharpen your observation skills, experiment with new techniques and keep up the satisfying practice of carrying your sketchbook wherever you go. With Cathy's sound guidance, you'll learn to capture the beauty of nature as you never have before.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Artist, writer and naturalist Cathy Johnson has been drawing and painting all her life. She is the author and illustrator of over thirty books, including Creating Textures in Watercolor, First Steps: Sketching & Drawing, First Steps: Painting Watercolors. A contributing editor to The Artist Magazine and Watercolor Magic, she was a staff naturalist and contributing editor for Country Living, has written for Sports Afield, Early American Life, Science Digest, Mother Earth News, Sierra Magazine and others. Author of The Sierra Club Guide to Sketching in Nature and The Sierra Club Guide to Painting in Nature, she's taught sketching and painting for the Sierra Club, Missouri Dept. of Conservation and other nature centers.

More About the Author

Cathy Johnson, sometimes known as Kate, has worked as a naturalist, writer, and freelance artist for the past 30 years, and was staff naturalist and contributing editor for Country Living magazine for 11 years. She is a contributing editor to the Artist's Magazine and Watercolor Magic and has had a regular column in Personal Journaling magazine, where she wrote on a subject she feels passionately about -- realizing the importance of creativity in our lives. She has written and illustrated -- her own work and that of others -- for a number of national magazines, including Science Digest, Harrowsmith Country Life, Sports Afield, Country Journal, Muzzlelader, Women's History, Early American Life, Sketchbook, Woodworker, Woman's Day, Threads, Mother Earth News, National Wildlife Magazine, Sierra and others. Her writing and artwork have been included in a number of nature anthologies and art books.

She has written and illustrated 34 books, and contributed to a number of others, working with a variety of national publishing houses. Those include North Light/F&W, Time/Life, Sierra Club, Random House, Scholastic, Globe Pequot Press, Gibbs-Smith Publisher, Tehabi, Van Nostrand Reinhold, Walker Publications, Prentice-Hall Press, Penguin, Stackpole and others.

Many of these books have been published in editions overseas, as well, in Russia, Japan, Holland, France and England.

In 1993, she founded her own small publishing company, Graphics/Fine Arts Press, which primarily offers books of interest to the reenacting community or others interested in history and material culture.

Her paintings are included in a number of private and corporate collections in this country and abroad, including Hallmark Cards, Inc., Kansas City, MO; F&W Publications/North Light Books, Cincinnati, OH; Early American Life Magazine, Harrisburg, PA; The Kansas City Life Insurance Co., Kansas City, MO; and Newcomers Funeral Home, Kansas City, MO.

Her original jewelry has also found its way overseas, to Scotland and Great Britain, and is included in the Images of the Archetype Collection in Glasgow, Scotland..

Her green man and fantasy paintings and sculptures are currently in a one-woman show online at http://www.greenmanreview.com/gallery-kate/index.html.

She is a longtime member of the Author's Guild and the Costume Society of America. She was chosen Conservation Communicator of the Year by the Burroughs Audubon Society in l987, and won the Thorpe Menn Award for Creative Writing (AAUW) for The Naturalist's Cabin; Constructing the Dream (Viking Penguin) in 1992.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

I have just recieved Cathy Johnson's new book, "Creating Nature in Watercolor, an Artists Guide." I sat down and read it through, and found it felt like an beautifully illustrated letter from a good friend, who is encouraging me to join her in her love of nature and creating. The art work is superb of course, as I expected, since I already own several of her books, and recently took one of her wonderful Online Classes...and she has been drawing and painting for her whole life...but I also found much more in it than artwork. She not only shares many, many, many valuable techniques and tips...but they seem unique to her charming way of helping us out with some of the little things that become big things when you dont know how to deal with them. And she adds so many details and makes them all so interesting! Her 'personal relationship' with nature pulls the reader and artist into a close connection with creation and creating. It is a book for everyone...beginning and professional artists as well as all who appreciate nature. For me this is her best book....so far...:)

Cathy Johnson's newest book is a work of art in itself. The inside page design is simply beautiful. The illustrations by Ms. Johnson are very inspiring. And her tone is one of gentle encouragement ("yes, you can do this too"). I just received my copy recently and have already spent hours savoring it. Many of Ms. Johnson's books seem deceptively simple. One could quickly glance over her notes and paintings and then set the book on the shelf. The real value comes from taking her books, page by page, and actually DOING the exercises she provides. Pay attention to her teaching, follow her examples, and wonderful things will happen with your artwork. Creating Nature in Watercolor is a wonderful book and I am thankful that the artist took the time to create it.

I became interested in Watercolor through and online class given by Cathy Johnson almost one year ago. Now I am hooked! I purchased this book as well as several other of Cathy's books to learn more of what she has to teach. This book,(like all of Cathy Johnson's books) is easy to undersatnd and very well illlustrated. She keeps it simple yet her instruction is very through. Cathy is a very talented, patient and generous artist. She doesn't hesitate sharing her knowledge with others. Her books have helped me to learn many new techniques and have given me the inspiration keep on painting. Thanks Kate!

Having used 2 of Ms. Johnson's books before ("CreatingTextures in Watercolor" and "Watercolor Pencil Magic-sadlyout of print") I had great hopes for this new volume, and itdoes not disappoint. More than a collection of prettywatercolor studies to be admired -though it is full ofthem! - this book breaks down the process and tells youhow to get the result you're looking for. Ms. Johnson evengives tips on the practicalities of capturing theuncooperative moving creatures of nature on paper! I have found something valuable on every page.

Cathy Johnson's newest book, Creating Nature in Watercolor, is a most delightful read and it's filled with tips and techniques on appreciating nature and capturing your interpretation of that observation in watercolor. Whether you want to learn how to document botanical samples in a journal or compose an extensive landscape on a full sheet of watercolor paper, this book is a must have! Cathy has a teaching style that encourages everyone to jump right in and have fun learning. This book contains short exercises as well as step-by-step lessons for painting landscapes. A beginner will find this book to be a tremendous start off point and a professional will find many useful tips and notes to help them progress in their treatment of nature and landscapes.

I found this newest Cathy Johnson book to be every bit as informative and entertaining as her many previous books. The artist's love of nature shines gloriously within these pages. Not only does she give clear and easily understood instructions to 'capture nature', she also inspires you! This book is both working text and entertainment.

In this hardcover artist's guide, "Creating Nature in Watercolor," author and artist Cathy Johnson provides a stunning, illustrated overview about enjoying and translating the beauty of the natural world through watercolor. From the basics of keeping a sketch journal and a full list of materials and supplies to a run down on natural habitats and useful ways to capture the essence of each with various colors and techniques, this guide proves useful to beginner and advanced artist alike. Ms. Johnson inspires her readers to enjoy nature from the standpoint of keen observer and translator through art. Her book is as lovely to look at and page through as it is full of invaluable tips. A treasure!

I purchased this book last year, and find myself returning to it time and again. Not only are the illustrations beautiful, but the author shares her lifetime experiences of drawing and painting the natural world around us. It's well organized and well written for in-depth reading, but also a pleasure just to leaf through when you only have a few minutes. I highly recommend this book to both beginning watercolorists and experienced artists - or anyone starting a nature journal!